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First Look: Jude Law’s Villainous Vortigern in King Arthur

Entertainment Weekly has your first look at Jude Law as Vortigern (above), a 5th-century warlord and main villain in director Guy Ritchie’s upcoming King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Usurper of the throne and Uncle to Charlie Hunnam’s titular character, Vortigern is responsible for murdering his brother and Arthur’s father Uther Pendragon (played by Eric Bana). He is said to possess magical powers, setting the stage for a more than capable adversary.

Ritchie, who recently spoke with EW from the set, said we can expect to see more “realism” and a less-bland iteration of the King Arthur lore, telling the outlet: “I think where the pitfall has often been is trying to make King Arthur bland and nice, and nice and bland. The two qualities make rather compatible bed companions. Unfortunately, they’re not interesting to watch. Luke Skywalker was always the most uninteresting character in Star Wars because he’s the good guy. Good guys are boring.”

An orphan raised by prostitutes in the streets of London, Ritchie’s Arthur starts out as a not-so-nice guy and is as far from nobility as possible. “That King Arthur was a good guy from the beginning,” Ritchie said. “Our King Arthur is not a good guy from the beginning.”

“He’s a bit rough around the edges, but he’s basically a survivor,” Hunnam added. “There’s definitely a harder edge than people would imagine.”

Set to hit theaters in March 2017, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword also stars Astrid Bergès-Frisbey (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) as Guinevere; Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, In America) as Resistance leader Bedivere; and Aidan Gillen (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”) as Goosefat Bill.

The bold new story introduces a streetwise young Arthur who runs the back alleys of Londonium with his gang, unaware of the life he was born for until he grasps hold of the sword Excalibur—and with it, his future. Instantly challenged by the power of Excalibur, Arthur is forced to make some hard choices. Throwing in with the Resistance and a mysterious young woman named Guinevere, he must learn to master the sword, face down his demons and unite the people to defeat the tyrant Vortigern, who stole his crown and murdered his parents, and become King.